Exciting times at Goodison Park after news broke that Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri had bought a 49.9% stake in the Merseyside club which will almost certainly lead to an increased budget for new players and wages.

Roberto Martinez is greatly encouraged by this step and the Spaniard feels as though he can handle the pressure now that Everton have higher expectation levels.

Martinez said: “With a new investor and fresh blood into our club, all of a sudden you have a new opportunity to get to those aspirations quicker.”

He added: “The chairman and myself will embrace that pressure and that need of delivering the right outcome as we have a strong belief in what we are doing.

“Farhad Moshiri will bring us a different dimension. It is a big moment in the club’s history with a new investor coming in.

“The vision Moshiri is sharing will take Everton to the next level – and every single department will be assessed.”

In the short-term, Martinez has a chance to steer Everton to a top-half finish and potentially win the FA Cup, with the Toffees heading to Villa Park as odds-on chances on Tuesday night.

Everton have strangely lost just one match on the road this season, although the remaining eleven games have resulted in four wins and seven draws.

Some of those draws have been a case of Everton making a hash of winning positions including memorable 3-3 draws against Chelsea and Bournemouth.

More recently, Everton are looking strong and a 3-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium means that we can be reasonably confident of getting the job done.

Confidence levels couldn’t be lower at Villa Park and the home side will be out to make themselves hard to score against. However, a 2-1 reverse at the Brit was just another nail in the relegation coffin.